Once a boy named Mark learned a valuable lesson about his temper. He had been having differences with his neighbor friend, Tommy. The boys were 9 years old and each one wanted to be sure that things were always going his way. As arguments escalated, Mark had began to say, “I hate you, I hate you.”

Although both parents tried to intervene with discipline, Mark had grown to be a very unhappy, angry young man. Mark’s mother had an idea one day. She thought about the Golden Rule and planned a strategy to help Mark understand how to treat others. Mother asked Mark to join her for a walk. Together they enjoyed the day at a nearby park where a stream had cut a deep valley into the hillside. There, Mark’s mother asked him to yell. She told him to yell as loud as he could and say, “I hate you.”

When Mark yelled an echo replied, “I hate you, I hate you”.

Startled, Mark looked at his mother with hurt on his face. Mark said, “somebody out there doesn’t like me very well.”

Mother knew that her plan was working. When anger can be deflected in calmness, a valuable lesson can be learned. She then asked Mark to yell just as loud as he could and say, “I love you.”

When Mark heard the echo after his “I love you,” He gazed into his mother’s face and said, “It looks like I have made a friend.” How should we treat other people? Luke 6:27-36

“Treat others just as you want to be treated.”

One day, Jesus led many people to a hill where He could speak to all of them. He told the crowd of people many things about God’s love. Jesus also gave them a special set of rules to follow and taught them the most important lesson of all. He said everyone should treat others in the same way that they would like to be treated. Today, we call this lesson the Golden Rule. In everything that we do, we should think of others and do good things. We should love others and care for them.